About Lyn

Lyn has been working with children all her working life firstly as a primary school teacher and now as a Family Therapist and Counsellor. With a Post Graduate qualification in Special Education, this background is invaluable in her present work.

Her private practice has been open for over 15 years. In that time, she has presented at numerous international conferences and regularly runs parenting programmes whilst also working closely with other professionals, school teachers, social workers, caregivers for children in care and child and adolescent mental health services.

Lyn has previously worked in a multidiscipline medical centre with a group of very creative practitioners, as a therapist for a community agency and for Child Youth & Family Specialist Services.

How I help children

Lyn has specialist skills with children with special needs and has worked extensively with many children with Dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Believing that parents are the experts of their own children and that from time to time they may need some outside help around presenting behaviours and issues.

“All behaviour is a form of communication” and that interpreting the behaviour and then helping the child/ adolescent and family to understand what is driving the behaviours is so often the solution to the presenting issues.

Mindfulness is used to teach clients how to breathe and how to become more aware of their thought processes without becoming over whelmed by them.

A variety of modalities are used when working with children and families, attachment theory, cognitive behaviour techniques, mindfulness and plain common sense.

What to Expect

A questionnaire is sent to parents before seeing their child which provides detailed developmental background information. This helps the parents to focus on their child’s development from birth to present (also saves parents a whole appointment).

Parents are always seen on their own for the first appointment so that a frank and open discussion about their children can be achieved. Encouragement and help is given to parents to provide structure, routines and a common perspective of their parenting i.e. the importance of both parents being on the same page.

A follow up after the first appointment is done with a summary of the therapy session and a plan of interventions to start working on at home to maximise the session.

The second appointment is for the whole family. A break of a couple of weeks is then suggested to practice some of the interventions that will be suggested. The third appointment may be another family session or an individual session for the child or children. In the therapy session, games and creative inventive methods are used to help the child and parents or child and siblings, experience positive ways of interacting with each other.

A commitment of 6 sessions which are often spread over a couple of months is needed. Occasionally work will be done with children individually. When this happens, negotiations will take place as to what will be shared with their parents/caregivers at the end of each session as everyone involved needs to be working off the same page.

Handouts are often provided at the end of any session which the child and family can take home to work on between sessions. Top up sessions can always be arranged a year or two later when parents and their children are faced with developmental challenges.

My physical environment

The private practice is situated in Ellerslie. It is a warm, friendly and homely environment. There is ample parking on the street outside with easy access to the motorway.

All phone calls and emails are usually responded to on the same day as Lyn understands it can be stressful reaching out for help for your children and family. Call Lyn on (021 936 000) to make an inquiry or book an initial consultation

Services

Family Therapy

Individual therapy

Behavioural concerns

Emotional regulation

Anger

Anxiety

Fears

Trauma and Grief

Self-confidence and self-esteem

Services

Family Therapy

Individual therapy

Behavioural concerns

Emotional regulation

Anger

Anxiety

Fears

Trauma and Grief

Self-confidence and self-esteem

The Physical Needs medical providers on our site have no testimonials because of Guideline No. 04 – Testimonials and Professional Endorsement.